Reviews

Das Alphabet der Puppen by Camilla Grudova

kiraascottie's review against another edition

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5.0

Reading Grudova's work is like falling upside down into a grimy, torrid underworld crowded with absurdities and the putrid banalities of existence. Her odd and endearing caricatures are hard to shake, long after the last page has been read, and the inescapable filthy squalor leaves an unwashable film. I love it.

jkb13227's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

zsshannon's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective fast-paced

4.0

insp84's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

saradawn's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

4.5

frischow's review

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adventurous dark funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

winnie3's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

Claustrophobic comes to mind. Had to stop reading over breakfast because it made me feel sick. A writer to watch. Waxy was my favourite. 

holly0213's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

aylincoolcat's review

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3.0

Anfangs war ich sehr angetan von der grotesken Atmosphäre, die Camilla Grudova mit ihren Kurzgeschichten erzeugt. die der Weird Fiction zugeordnet werden können.
Morbide, dystopische Welten mit skurrilen Figuren, die krankhaften Beziehungen führen und in Gesellschaften mit abstrusen Gesetzen und Strukturen leben. So etwas unorthodoxes und unkonventionelles habe ich lange nicht mehr gelesen.
Die anfängliche Faszination ließ dann aber doch relativ schnell nach, weil viele Motive wiederkehren und der Erzählton in allen Geschichten sehr ähnlich bleibt und wenig Abwechslung entsteht. Auch die Drastellung der Figuren und deren Entwicklung hätte erzählerisch besser umgesetzt werden können. Mir haben sich die meisten Erzählungen dann doch etwas zu sehr meinem Verständnis entzogen, um irgendwie mitfühlen oder mitdenken zu können, und so hatten die absurden Ideen keinen wirklich Nachhall und die gruselige unangenehme Grundstimmung war schnell verflogen.

nessferatu's review against another edition

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Really good, started reading on holiday Feb 2023 then lost where I put it. I have recently found it again so I will return to it.